James H. Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa
Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

No. 19 Baylor heads to Ames for a huge conference battle with No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.

No. 19 Baylor hosted Kansas State on Saturday and came away with a 69-42 victory as a 9-point home favorite. The Bears have now won two straight games, but they are just 2-2 SU in their past four games. One major positive to take away from their last two victories is that they held their opponents to just 45.5 PPG in those contests. No. 12 Iowa State, meanwhile, has now won-and-covered in three straight games and four of their past five after beating the Longhorns 85-77 as 3-point underdogs in Austin on Saturday. The Cyclones were on fire in that game, shooting 46.4% from the field and 57.1% from behind the arc. This Iowa State team has now shot 45% or better from the field in 10 of its past 14 games. These two conference foes last met on Jan. 14, when Baylor beat Iowa State 74-73 as a 2-point home favorite. The Cyclones have gotten the better of the Bears recently, however, going 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS in their past 10 meetings. Iowa State has also won-and-covered in its past seven games hosting Baylor. The Bears have not performed too well against Big 12 opponents this year, going just 8-6 SU and 6-8 ATS. They are also just 5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS in away games this season. Iowa State, meanwhile, is 11-0 SU and 6-5 ATS as a home favorite this season. The Cyclones are also 10-4 SU and 8-6 ATS versus conference opponents. G Dee Durham (Wrist) is out indefinitely for Baylor and Iowa State is not currently dealing with any injuries.

Can the Bears end their losing streak in Ames with a win over the Cyclones on Wednesday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have been heating up since Dec. 23, combining for a 57% ATS mark (129-98-3) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is a strong 60% ATS (28-19) during this timeframe to improve to 60% ATS (46-31) for the season. StatFox Brian is 65% ATS (26-14-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 28 to put him at 58% ATS (43-31-1) this season, while StatFox Zach is on a 58% ATS (22-16) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a 55% ATS mark (42-34) this season. StatFox Scott is a lofty 60% ATS (27-18-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 23, and StatFox Dave is 67% ATS (8-4) since Feb. 6.

Baylor plays a very balanced style of basketball, consistently getting the job done on both ends of the floor. The Bears are averaging 69.2 PPG (132nd in NCAA) on 43.2% FG (195th in NCAA) and they’re also allowing an impressive 58.8 PPG (19th in NCAA). This team is very good on the glass (40.5 RPG, 5th in NCAA) and also knows how to get into passing lanes (7.5 SPG, 55th in NCAA). The most important player for this Baylor team on Wednesday will be F Rico Gathers (11.2 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG). Gathers is an absolute monster on the glass and is also a handful to guard around the basket. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a win over Kansas State on Saturday and will need to be active on both ends of the floor against Iowa State. Gathers had 14 points and 15 rebounds in 32 minutes when the Bears beat the Cyclones in their past meeting and will need to do more of the same this time around. F Royce O’Neale (9.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG) was on fire in that game, finishing with 15 points (6-for-8 FG, 3-for-5 3PT) and six rebounds in 36 minutes. The forward is a monster on the glass and is also one of this team’s best outside shooters (44% 3PT). His versatility is a huge asset and he should be in for a big game on Wednesday. G Kenny Cherry (11.3 PPG, 3.9 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG) has really struggled the past two games, scoring just 11 points total over 64 minutes of action. Cherry had 13 points (4-for-16 FG) and four assists the last time he met Baylor, but he shot the ball horribly and this team needs him to be more efficient. F Taurean Prince (13.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG) came off the bench the last time he faced Iowa State. He had just five points in that game and will most certainly be more effective this time around. He is averaging 17.0 PPG over the past five contests and is this team’s most consistent scorer.

Iowa State runs one of the best offenses in the nation, putting up 79.8 PPG (9th in NCAA) on 48.6% FG (12th in NCAA). This team moves the ball extremely well (16.9 APG, 7th in NCAA) and also crashes the boards (36.5 RPG, 76th in NCAA). Defensively the team struggles though, allowing 69.0 PPG (251st in NCAA) thanks to some rather poor rim protection (3.9 BPG, 119th in NCAA). F Georges Niang (14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.4 APG) is the Cyclones’ most versatile player and he will need to play well against Baylor in this one. Niang does a little bit of everything for this group, hitting the glass and unselfishly finding his teammates when his shot is off. He is one of the best shooters they have (41% 3PT) and can’t afford to struggle like he did the last time he met the Bears. Niang had just 10 points (4-for-13 FG) and five rebounds in the loss in Waco and his team needs him to put it all together on Wednesday. G Monte Morris (10.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG) is the reason this team passes so well. Morris is an extremely unselfish guard that puts his teammates in the best positions to score. He is also a capable scorer and he’ll need to be aggressive when things get stagnant on Wednesday. Morris had 11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes of action when the Cyclones lost to Baylor last game. He’ll need to bring that same energy this time around. One guy who really got hot in the loss to the Bears in January was G Naz Long (11.2 PPG). Long played one of his best games of the season in that one, pouring in 19 points (7-for-8 FG, 5-for-5 3PT) in what was a nearly perfect shooting night. He can’t be expected to be that hot once again, but he will need to provide some offense if Iowa State is going to keep their home winning streak alive against Baylor. G Bryce Dejean-Jones (12.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG) will also need to play a good game for this team to win. Dejean-Jones was excellent against Texas Saturday, finishing with 16 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action. He had 14 points, four assists and four rebounds in 33 minutes against Baylor in Waco and that type of all-around play will come a long way in helping his team earn a big home victory.